In previous studies we found that uveal melanoma cells grown in extracellular matrix (ECM)-containing three-dimensional (3D) cultures have increased resistance against herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1)-mediated destruction relative to cells cultured without ECM. Using additional tumor cell types including MB-231 human breast cancer cells, PC-3 human prostate cancer cells, and P19 mouse embryo...

The mouse Hox-2.5 gene containing a Drosophila Antennapedia-type homeobox sequence is expressed in a spatially and temporally restricted manner during embryogenesis. We found that the mouse embryonal carcinoma cell line P19 expresses Hox-2.5 during differentiation by the treatment with retinoic acid (RA). Expression of the Hox-2.5 gene was not detected in undifferentiated P19 cells, but detecte...

Humans are exposed to a variety of chemicals including environmental pollutants, cosmetics, food preservatives and drugs. Some of these substances might be harmful to the human body. Traditional toxicological and behavioural investigations performed in animal models are not suitable for the screening of a large number of compounds for potential toxic effects. There is a need for simple and robu...

Mutations in human angiogenin (hANG), an angiogenic member of the RNase A superfamily, have been recently reported in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a progressive late-onset neurodegenerative disorder. However, very little is known about the expression and subcellular distribution of ANG in the nervous system or its role in differentiation. Here we report that mouse angiogen...

Adult male germ cell tumors (GCTs) comprise distinct groups: seminomas and nonseminomas, which include pluripotent embryonal carcinomas as well as other histologic subtypes exhibiting various stages of differentiation. Almost all GCTs show 12p gain, but the target genes have not been clearly defined. To identify 12p target genes, we examined Affymetrix (Santa Clara, CA) U133A+B microarray ( app...

A karyotypically normal male embryonal carcinoma (EC) cell line, P19, produced large numbers of chimaeras in midgestation after groups of cells were injected into mouse blastocysts. A wide variety of apparently normal tissues were colonized by the EC cells but most chimaeras were also morphologically abnormal. Few live chimaeras were produced and all contained tumours of EC cell origin as well ...

The effect of retinoids on the expression of kappa opioid receptor (KOR) gene was examined in normal and transgenic animals. KOR-lacZ transgene expression was specifically elevated in KOR-positive areas of the developing CNS by depleting vitamin A from animal diets. The endogenous KOR mRNA species, including all three isoforms, were also upregulated by depleting vitamin A in developing animals....